THE Duchess of Cambridge got stuck in on a visit to the Lake District today - trying her hand at both abseiling and mountain biking as she emphasised the benefits of the outdoors for young people.

Kate took a boat ride on Windermere in the afternoon, chatting to two of the surviving 'Windermere Children', a group of youngsters who were brought from the horrors of the Holocaust to live in Cumbria in 1945.

But her first engagement of the day saw her take part in outdoor sports in Little Langdale with members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Cadets. The Duchess, who is Honorary Air Commandant of the Air Cadets, began with mountain biking, before enjoying abseiling at Cathedral Quarry.

Itelouwa Odipe, 13, spoke to the Duchess as she was about to begin abseiling.

"I was next in line and she asked me if I wanted to go before her, and I was a bit scared, so I said 'no'," he said.

"And she said if I did it, she'd meet me down there.

"Because I didn't do it, she said it's really good and I should try it."

Nerves got the better of the youngster this time, but he said he would consider attempting the plunge again in future.

The Air Cadets were all quick to emphasise Kate's personable nature, with Itelouwa, of Lancaster, saying: "Even though she's Her Royal Highness, she still does things normal humans do."

She chatted to the Cadets about their experiences of the last year and a half, with many of the organisation's activities curtailed by the pandemic.

Josh Binnie, 15, of Kendal, who was also waiting to abseil, said the Duchess was 'very nice, a lot less formal than I expected'.

"It's been difficult during Covid, but it's good to get back to the face-to-face stuff," he said.

The Duchess was then treated to a cup of tea brewed on a Trangia camping stove.

While her brew was being prepared, she told the gathered Air Cadets: "There's lots of scientific studies about the healing powers of nature and being outdoors."

Sixteen-year-old Fergus Ripley proudly told her of his experience flying in an RAF Chinook helicopter last week.

He said: "It was a fantastic experience to talk to Her Royal Highness, really informative.

"She was really interested in what we have been doing, what we have been up to, how we are coping after Covid."

Also in attendance was ex-RAF officer Emma Wolstenholme, 39, who is planning to row across the Atlantic early next year in an attempt to raise £80,000 for the Air Cadets to mark the organisation's 80th anniversary.

Ms Wolstenholme, who lives on Thorney Island, West Sussex, said she spoke to the Duchess today about her planned crossing.

"She thinks it's incredible, an amazing challenge," said Ms Wolstenholme.

The Duchess's visit also marked the reopening of the Air Cadets' Windermere adventure training centre following a £2 million refit.